Direct Cellars Review

At the time of writing this article Direct Cellars is no more. It actually shut down it’s direct sales component in mid October 2019, so it begs the question,”Why are you doing a Direct Cellars review article”? Fair question. The answer is simply that the Direct Cellars wine club was one of the the most popular direct sales companies in the wine industry so it makes sense to take a look at who they where and how they were structured. If you are looking at companies in this niche then it makes complete sense to compare other companies against them.
 

Direct Cellars MLM Overview

Direct Cellars was established by David DiStefano back in 2014, and it was a Multi Level Marketing business that scouts for premium quality wine coming from speciality shop and artisan wineries from all around the globe, and distributes them to buyers, such as you and me. It started as a little group of wine enthusiasts online providing premium wine to your home every month. They soon, matured into a wine club that claimed that quality wines didn’t need to cost a ton of money, making things more enjoyable than ever to share your wine choices with buddies.

David DiStefano was attributed as an entrepreneur who has extensive expertise and knowledge spanning multiple marketplaces and niches. He is noted as a serial business owner, having set up eighteen businesses in twenty seven yrs.

Kevin Raulston was the company’s president. He has actually established his career in supply chain, operations, business growth, advertising, and financing in the United States as well as overseas markets. He focuses within direct sales.

Their goods originate via top tier wineries and vineyards from much more than ten regions but rather than utilising the wine labels, Direct Cellars makes things unique by placing their own premium label on them and ensures sensible premium wine costs to their registered members as they market their very own label.

To increase awareness about their wines, Direct Cellars looked to a direct marketing system in 2016 and had well over 10,000 Members referring their unique wine club subscription everyday.

The heads in the organisation advertise a consolidated 200+ yrs of practical experience and claim they provide the very best wines and a fantastic opportunity for individuals that would like to share this with close friends.

One thing distinct about Direct Cellars was that they didn’t have a certain type of wine to sell, alternatively they would place you on their auto-shipment of two to four bottles of assorted varieties of wine. You wouldn’t get the exact same bottle of wine inside each delivery, which in turn produced an element of surprise. They would say that they were a group of wine fanatics that value learning, innovation, worth and opportunity.
 

How It Functioned

They had connections with excellent wineries and vineyards that made incredible selections of wine, so they could ship customers brand-new wines each and every month. They bought premium wines and grapes by negotiating on the customers stead! These guys had buyers in over ten+ different regions, and would work with top vineyards to choose superior wines. Rather than using winery labels, they would purchase wine straight from them and make the options Direct Cellars premium products.
 

Unique Brands

Because they sourced their wines from around the globe, they featured unique brands that exemplified the regional charm and character of where they were created.

Their expert understanding and revered collaborations, combined with the fact that they owned their own brand (staying clear of significant advertising and marketing costs) meant they could provide terrific value to their members.

They had offices in Chicago, Fort Lauderdale and Seattle. It was simply a wine club with a direct sales spin. They had pretty much concentrated all their advertising efforts to the United States and Canada and therefore had the majority (94%) of their web traffic from the US. The remainder of the web traffic came from Canada.
 

Direct Cellars Wine Club

The primary item of Direct Cellars wasn’t the wine by itself. Rather it was, their’s recurring wine club. There were actually some appealing elements to that idea. Since wine isn’t a typical multi level marketing option, you would figure that there is reduced competition from other representatives and a higher possibility of making routine sales.

Wine can also be a complicated sector for novices. There are a lot of different bottles to pick from, in addition to all the styles of wine and exactly how they differ from each other. The wine club from Direct Cellars was a great approach for individuals to find out more about wine free from worry or pressure.

Undoubtedly, wine clubs are well-liked in their own right. Add in an MLM element and many people chose to get involved.
 

Direct Cellars Wine Retail Products Offered

When running a direct sales company, one of the primary details that you really need to have in place to remain compliant with the FTC is to provide retail products. Direct Cellars did provide retail products so that was a plus for them. These guys provided two subscription options and two various wine picks as their products. Both of these subscription and wine picks included the selection of wines shipped to the customers each month.

There could be as much as 4 bottles of wines shipped monthly.

Having said that, the customers didn’t have the option to pick the wines themselves, instead it was be selected by the in-house wine tasting specialists of Direct Cellars. The cost was $49.95 for two bottles or $79.95 for 4 bottles.

These folks were wine aficionados and hand pick a number of the very best wines all throughout the world for you. All people had to do was determine whether they wanted white or red, and just how much. That’s it! There were two primary bundles to purchase, either two or four bottles monthly shipped to your home.

Customer Product options:

• Four Bottles One-time= $99.95.
• Four Bottles Regular Monthly Auto-ship (Wine Club) = $79.95.
• Two Bottles One-time= $69.95.
• Two Bottles Regular Monthly Auto-ship (Wine Club) = $49.95.

As you can see there was a significant savings for being part of their recurring wine club program.

In relations to wine type, people were able to choose all 1 color or do half of each. Delivery was incorporated in the cost and they additionally offered a no questions asked replacement policy on purchases.

This was fantastic for the customer and from a company point of view, it no doubt helped minimise a customers risk impression, which most certainly led to reps making additional sales.
 

Direct Cellars Compensation Plan

Direct Cellars offered associates an individualised replicated business website. All sales made via that site earned the rep twenty percent commission. Going against the norm, these folks concentrated on the web-based angle. Though representatives were motivated to host parties, there was considerably less of an emphasis on parties than with many other companies. This was no doubt a large part of the appeal, as hosting parties is often time-consuming.

Direct Cellars was unique due to it’s paired pay plan– which was both binary AND a uni-level program. This was actually descent because it gave reps the capability to rapidly earn commission from a down line, but incorporated the reliability of a uni-level that payed nine levels in depth. There were a few restrictions from what I’ve heard, though. Supposedly there was an $80,000 weekly limit on the binary component of the program.

The Direct Cellars comp plan had multiple components so let’s start with what they had for the members rank system and their criteria.

Direct Cellars Rank System

• Wine Lover – Join as a Direct Cellars distributor and sponsor as well as maintain a minimum of one distributor.
• Wine Enthusiast – Attain commission qualified status.
• Wine Critic – Sponsor and maintain three commission qualified distributors.
• Wine Specialist – Sponsor and maintain four commission qualified distributors.
• Wine Expert – Sponsor and maintain five commission qualified distributors.
• Wine Connoisseur – Sponsor and maintain six commission qualified distributors.
• Wine Aficionado – Sponsor and maintain seven commission qualified distributors.
• Wine Master – Sponsor and maintain eight commission qualified distributors.
• Master Cellar – Sponsor and maintain nine commission qualified distributors.

Having said that, to be paid, reps were required to recruit and maintain two active members who bought the $79.95 monthly auto-ship.

When reps sponsored new members, they could make commissions based upon the membership lvl:

• Sponsor a Premium Wine Lover distributor ($249.95) and they made $125.
• Sponsor a Premium Wine Lover Elite distributor ($499.95) and they made $250.

Direct Cellars Binary (Dual Team Pay)

These guys also had a binary residual comp plan that was paid weekly. This part depended on the activity of the organisation. By organisation, I imply the folks that were indirectly or directly recruited or sponsored. In a binary, you have 2 “legs” of reps and new recruits fill out the downline underneath you.

The sales volume from right and left team legs were determined by the end of every week, allowing reps to earn you earn up to a twenty percent commission from the sales volume of the smaller leg. This meant that reps needed to appropriately handle their organisation so there wasn’t much difference among both legs.

The commission amount relied upon your rank.

• Wine Enthusiast = six percent.
• Wine Critic = eight percent.
• Wine Specialist = ten percent.
• Wine Expert = twelve percent.
• Wine Connoisseur = fourteen percent.
• Wine Aficionado = sixteen percent.
• Wine Master = eighteen percent.
• Master Cellar = twenty percent.

Unilevel Portion (Uni-level 9 Pay)

They additionally had a unilevel residual comp plan. As a team would grow, reps would most likely observe a substantial increase in their income.

A uni-level pay plan is the type that really like due to the recurring income it can deliver. In it’s fundamental format, your directly recruited representatives are placed on your 1st level, their representatives on your 2nd level, and so forth up until the bottom parts of the structure are hit. The uni-level, with time, produces sturdy and dependable growth which is where true recurring income can originate from.

As you can see mentioned below, reps would get to make the various percentage of volume from the depth of their team.

• Wine Lover = ten percent on lvl one.
• Wine Enthusiast = 10% on level 1 plus five percent on lvl two.
• Wine Critic = same as above as well as five percent on lvl three.
• Wine Specialist = same as above, plus four percent on lvl four.
• Wine Expert = same as above, as well as four percent on lvl five.
• Wine Connoisseur = same as above and three percent on lvl six.
• Wine Aficionado = same as above plus three percent on lvl seven.
• Wine Master = same as above and two percent on level eight.
• Master Cellar = same as above plus two percent on lvl nine.

DC Fast Start Incentive

It cost people $249.95 or $499.95 to join the business opportunity. When someone enrolled in either of the offers, they immediately ended up being an “Active Member” of Direct Cellars, and thus they were able to work towards a fast start incentive. For each new associate people introduced to Direct Cellars that bought either of the 2 package deals touched on just above, they would get a fifty percent commission coming from the package deal sold. This is an extremely simple way generate income fast.

However, to Receive earnings from deeper levels of the pay plan, like the “Dual Team Pay”, the “Uni-Level 9 Pay”, and the “Check Match Bonus, associates had to directly enroll two Active Members.

Check Match Bonus

Direct Cellars also offered matching bonuses that were paid out on the reps personally sponsored member’s spending who make commissions. To obtain the various rankings in Direct Cellars, these were the requirements:

• Wine Lover = Start as a Direct Cellars representative and enroll and maintain a minimum of one active rep
• Wine Enthusiast = Enroll and maintain a minimum of two active reps
• Wine Critic = Enroll and sustain a minimum of three Wine Enthusiasts
• Wine Specialist = Enroll and maintain a minimum of four Wine Enthusiasts
• Wine Expert = Enroll and maintain a minimum of five Wine Enthusiasts
• Wine Connoisseur = Enroll and keep at the very least six Wine Enthusiasts
• Wine Aficionado = Enroll and sustain at minimum seven Wine Enthusiasts
• Wine Master = Enroll and maintain a minimum of eight Wine Enthusiasts
• Master Cellar = Enroll and keep at minimum nine Wine Enthusiasts

Regardless if people got involved with Direct Cellars early on or if they joined later, this part of the compensation plan likely earned some people some significant money. Below is a break down of the number of lvls of pay, and what could have earned from the cheque match bonus compensations being dependent on rank.

• Wine Lover Rank = ten percent match on lvl one personally sponsored reps.
• Wine Enthusiast Rank = ten percent match on lvl one as well as a five percent match on lvl two reps.
• Wine Critic Rank = Same as above plus a four percent match on lvl three reps.
• Wine Specialist Rank = Same as above plus a three percent match on lvl four reps.

These compensations are based upon the unilevel residual income compensations.

How To Be Qualified.

In order to begin making commissions from the Direct Cellars payment plan reps had to directly refer and maintain two associates that were on a minimum of the $79.95 monthly autoship. The reps had to remain active with a regular monthly autoship to preserve their commissions qualified standing. In the event that a rep qualified for a rank with a specific requirement of registered members and one of the members that were required to qualify for that ranking go lose their rank or go inactive the rep would have needed to replace that individual or they would drop to the previous ranking.
 

Direct Cellars Reviews

As with anything one of the best ways to find out about a company is by what people are saying. Here are a few Direct Cellars Wine Club reviews to help complete the picture.

I was quite hesitant initially, but since I registered I haven’t had any problems with the product quality or the customer support. Actually, customer support has surpassed my desired standard every single time I have gotten in touch with them. I now receive my wines free of charge because I recommended more than three friends and colleagues who enjoy trying out different wines! I simply pay for the freight.

– Josephine.

I really like this club! Complete satisfaction assured and it’s real. If you don’t enjoy what you receive they substitute it free of charge and you don’t even need to return the old one! They substitute it in a prompt fashion too. If you don’t have the cash this calendar month you can pause your delivery not a problem. Simply don’t need it any longer, you can complete a sheet and end it, just like that. I’ve never ever had such a simple time interacting with a regular monthly style company!

– Eric.

Completely love this business! The customer care exceeds expectations, and even dealt with me after regular hrs via the employees personal mobile! Who does that nowadays?! No prolonged obligations, fantastic wines, terrific learning experience and an incredible enjoyable team environment. I’m sure that this business will accomplish their objective of turning into the biggest wine club on the planet!

– Matthew.

I signed up with the DC wine cellars sixty days ago, what a business, always can speak with someone, payday on Fridays each time, even the subscription each month that is so reasonable at $79 you receive 4 bottles of wine as part of the subscription. Typically unusual with most other businesses. They also guarantee the wine with a different bottle and you will get to keep the one you didn’t enjoy. Constantly replied to any concerns I had right away. I wouldn’t rate this a 5, I would definitely rate it a 10 out of 10 if I could.

– Linda.

Amazing wine club!! Fantastic experience together with customer service! Additionally, you bring in excellent money! In the event that you don’t enjoy your vino, you reach out to them and these guys send a new bottle! (I have not been given any I don’t enjoy yet!) I really love bring in additional money by working on something I enjoy!

– Angela.

I found out that Direct Cellars is the quickest growing on-line monthly wine club, so I registered. I really like having my wines delivered right to my front door. The wines were in fact superb barring one that I most likely could have still have drank, but as they pointed out they provide a one hundred percent% complete satisfaction guarantee. And so, I contacted their head office and I was totally floored. They told me to keep the bottle you don’t want, perhaps hand it off to somebody you don’t like or make use of it for Sangria and we’ll ship out a different bottle at no cost. I just got it and I really liked this Cabernet they delivered. I’m totally happy with their customer care. This is the greatest wine club! Delivering was FREE, however even if they required shipping I would still be pleased with their customer support. you can’t do anything like that at your neighbourhood liquor store. Cost was respectable, I’m used to $twenty dollars or less. Generally speaking a wonderful experience thus far with Direct Cellars, they also have wine samplings all throughout the valley that I participate in. Truly appreciate the social advertising these folks do. Remarkable networking!’.

– Rob.

I am crazy about the Direct Cellars wine club experience and community! I wasn’t much of a wine enthusiast prior to this but when I found out you can recommend it to friends and get Free Wine, I said “why not.” Now my hubby and myself simply cannot wait to receive our wine delivery every month! There is additionally a substantial worth in the sampling notes that come along with every wine. I have certainly grown and found out a lot more than I would have purchasing from the store. Direct Cellars delivers on their pledge of wines coming from all around the world … we have been given wines from Spain, California,Italy, and Australia, among others. The costs vary greatly but when you begin to earn free wine, I would certainly claim the total value of the club is extraordinary!

– Cassie.
 

Was Direct Cellars A Scam?

Direct Cellars was certainly not a scam. Direct Cellar was a legit business, IMHO. There were numerous people who asserted that they were a scam, but this was mostly because they didn’t comprehend how the business worked, or because they personally didn’t have success from it.

This business opportunity possessed all the things they required to be in compliance such as:.

• Retail goods that were actually good.
• A decent pay plan.
• A great business plan.

It truly was a good opportunity for wine lovers. Picture a constant inventory of wine on a monthly basis with the ability to earn an income! I guess that’s why they got so popular so quickly!
 

Was Direct Cellars A Pyramid Scheme?

Nope. Direct Cellars was not a pyramid scheme. Providing a product line being offered alongside the registration fee did not make Direct Cellars a pyramid scheme. Nevertheless, network marketing and a pyramid scheme might look similar to some individuals. The distinction is that a Multi Level Marketing biz has services or products to sell making this business legit. While, a pyramid scheme functions solely by enlisting individuals who pay for the assurance of making money when they enlist additional people into the scam. There is no real investment on services or products.

FYI… a pyramid scheme is against the law in virtually every single part of the globe. Plus the FTC keeps a close eye on this stuff, and if it’s illegal, they shut it down.
 

Final Thoughts

If you’re on the hunt for a wine MLM opportunity, check this out.

Scout & Cellar and Wine Shop At Home are 2 options that have become fairly popular.

While these are not bad option, they aren’t what I’ve decided to use as my vehicle for financial freedom. If you’re interested in joining me with what I’m doing, simply click the button below.